what is terminal in computer
The terminal is a popular input/output device. Terminals are used for two-way communications with the CPU or with other terminals a few feet or thousands of miles away. With the aid of a terminal, a user can access computers around the world.
Terminals, also called workstations, allow to interact with a computer. It is required to use a keyboard to enter data and receive output displayed on a cathode ray tube (CRT) display screen, or monitor. Because data must be keyed into these devices one character at a time, the possibility of error is high and the data transmission rate very low, thus, limiting the use of these terminals to small-volume input and inquiries.
Terminal Functions
Some of the functions that can be performed using terminals are the following:
Message switching : The communication of information from one terminal to one or more remote terminals.
Data collection: Data are input to one or more terminals and recorded on a secondary storage medium for subsequent processing. This eliminates the needs to record the information on a source document and then to key the information from the source document into the computer. Inquiry or transaction processing: Data stored in central data files can be accessed from remote terminals for updating or to determine answers to inquiries about information stored in these files. The system employed by most airlines to maintain and update flight information is an example of such a function.
Remote job processing: Programs can be input from remote terminals directly to the CPU for processing. After execution, the results can be transmitted back to the terminal or to other terminals for output.
Graphic display and design: Data can be displayed in graphic form, and can also be manipulated and modified. Interactive graphic displays, from simple home video games displayed on a television set to sophisticated computerized systems, provide complex designs and threedimensional displays in either black and white or color.
Terminals are available with features to suit the multitude of applications to which they are applied. In general three broad types of terminals are: point of sale, interactive remote, and intelligent.
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